What is the value of software?

In The Triumph of the Nerds on Channel 4, we had the rare
opportunity of seeing Bill Gates and Paul Allen talking about the
development of their 4 KB Basic for the Altair 8800 computer, and Dan
Bricklin and Bob Frankston on Visicalc. One major difference between
these two pieces of software: one was intellectually protected, the
other was not. Bricklin and Frankston believed that it would help
others to take ideas from Visicalc, and on this level it was a
success. Nearly twenty years later, Microsoft through the EMWAC
initiative is helping to create freeware (albeit for one of its
commercial OSs). Is this a sign of a return to the highly ethical
values of the true hackers?